


Fragile Trust

by TheManOfManyFandoms



Series: Family Is More Than Blood [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Gen, Hakoda (Avatar) is a Good Parent, Hakoda took one look at Zuko and started signing the adoption papers, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, I’m just an asshole, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Zuko deserves all things good and soft, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, the author might be projecting a little
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:40:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24818515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheManOfManyFandoms/pseuds/TheManOfManyFandoms
Summary: Zuko doesn’t react well to fathers raising their voices. Hakoda learns this the hard way.
Relationships: Hakoda & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko
Series: Family Is More Than Blood [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1789564
Comments: 140
Kudos: 3231





	Fragile Trust

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place after Chapter 4 in ‘Sometimes Friends Are Better.’ As usual, you probably don’t have to read that to make sense of this one but it’ll give it more context.

Hakoda had hoped that his conversation with Zuko would allow the boy relax more around him. Unfortunately, the only progress they made was that Zuko wouldn’t actively try and escape any room they both occupied.

Tonight is no different than the last few nights had been. Zuko comes and sits with them around the fire at the last possible moment, allowing Toph and Sokka to squish him between them with nothing more than light grumbling, in an unsuccessful attempt to protest.

As Katara serves the three of them dinner she fixes them with a glare that causes Zuko to shrink a little. Sokka, however, glares right back and Toph, when she realizes what must be happening, says in an overly cheery voice, “Move along now, Sugar Queen.”

Katara lets out a startled, unamused laugh and snaps, “Why do you care if I don’t like him? Am I the only one who remembers who he is?”

Zuko shrinks further into himself as Sokka growls, “Yeah, he’s the guy who helped rescue our dad.”

“So you’re on his side now?” She fires back, looking furious.

“Yeah, maybe I am,” Sokka glares. “Why do you care if I like him?” He asks in a mockery of Katara’s earlier lofty tone.

“Because you’re supposed to be the one on my side! I expected this from Toph and Aang. Toph didn’t know him before and Aang’s determined to love every creature under the sun; horrible or not!” Katara throws her hands out in frustration and Hakoda frowns when he catches Zuko’s small flinch.

Katara glowers and Sokka stands up abruptly. “Zuko is not horrible. He’s changed, Katara. I get why you were upset before. I was mad too! But he helped save our dad. Isn’t that enough?”

“No! It’s not enough! One good deed isn’t enough to make up for a lifetime of evil!” She snaps angrily and suddenly Zuko is on his feet and fuming too.

“I haven’t had a lifetime of evil!” He shouts, and Hakoda is taken aback by the volume his, usually quiet, voice can raise to. “Everything I’ve done that you can consider evil, I’ve done after Aang returned.”

“Oh, and that makes it so much better!” Katara hisses, whirling to face him.

“Well, being “evil” for a few months is a lot better than being evil for sixteen years. And I’m not even like that anymore,” Zuko glares, folding his arms over his chest.

“Have you even tried to talk to him nicely since he got here, Sweetness?” Toph asks, lounging in a purposefully irritating way as she joins the argument, “He’s like- the farthest thing from evil. Even Appa knows it!”

“Is nobody on my side?” Katara exclaims, she turns around abruptly, “Aang, you’re on my side, right?”

“Er,” Aang hesitates, biting his lip, “Zuko’s actually pretty nice once you get to know him, Katara.”

“Great! Even you’ve gone crazy!” Katara snaps.

Sokka, Zuko, Toph, and Aang all start to protest at the same time and Hakoda has heard just about enough so he stands and raises his voice to be heard over the argument, “Kids! Enough!”

They all freeze. Sokka looks a little guilty but mostly mulish and unapologetic. Aang’s expressive face floods with guilt as he snaps his mouth shut. Toph and Katara both look simply furious. But Zuko is the one Hakoda is looking at. Zuko’s face has gone unnaturally pale and his shoulders have shot up around his ears. He takes a step back as he notices Hakoda staring at him and only manages to choke out, “I-I’m going to-” before he bolts.

“What was that?” Aang asks, sounding scared. Hakoda can tell by the thunderclouds on Toph and Sokka’s faces that they both have an idea of what “that” was. He does too.

Toph stands quickly, her lips pressed together in anger. “I’m going after him,” she announces.

“Me too,” Sokka offers quickly and Toph nods tightly.

Hakoda sighs, “I’ll come too.”

“Like hell you will,” Toph growls, “You caused this and you are certainly not going to make it worse.”

“Dad didn’t cause anything!” Katara protests.

“Oh, sorry, Sugar, you’re right. You caused this,” Toph hisses.

“Katara, Toph was right,” Hakoda says heavily, “That was my fault. I should’ve remembered.”

“Yes, you should have,” Toph folds her arms angrily but finally grits out, “You can come with us as long as you stay away until I tell you that you can come closer.” Hakoda lets out a small sigh of relief. He doesn’t want Zuko to be any more afraid of him than he already is.

They find Zuko in his room and, even though Hakoda stays a few paces away from the door, he can tell that the sight that greets them is not a pleasant one. Zuko is pressed into the far wall, trembling like a leaf, his breath hitching audibly. Sokka gasps quietly and Toph grimaces even as she says, in the gentlest tone Hakoda has ever heard from her, “Hey, Sparky, want some company?”

Zuko jumps at her voice but, when he recognizes it, nods once without looking up. “I’m here too, buddy,” Sokka says in an equally gentle voice.

“Why are you two here?” Zuko rasps out in a small voice.

“Because we care about you, dumbass,” Toph says, casually seating herself next to him.

Zuko is silent for a long moment as Sokka sits on the firebender’s other side. “Is Chief Hakoda very angry?” He asks, his voice trembling.

“No,” Sokka says, his voice gentler than Hakoda has ever heard it, “Dad’s not angry with you at all.” He puts his arm around Zuko and squeezes gently.

“Why else would he shout like that?” Zuko asks doubtfully, turning his head to look at Sokka, “And I ran away. That never helps anything.” Hakoda isn’t sure he wants to know the occasions in which Zuko had fled from his own father.

“He was just trying to get us all to calm down,” Sokka says when it becomes clear that Toph isn’t sure how to respond. “He’s more likely to be mad at Katara and I than you, since we instigated everything,” Sokka adds, chuckling a little.

Hakoda and Toph facepalm in tandem and for good reason. Zuko, who had calmed a little whirled around and examined Sokka closely. “Are you alright? You’re not hurt or anything, are you?” He asks, sounding very panicky.

“Hey, man, it’s okay,” Sokka says, looking nervous, “My dad wouldn’t hurt any of us, alright?”

Zuko bows his head and mumbles, “Right. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, Fire Fingers,” Toph says firmly. The three of them just sit like that for a while. Zuko in the middle, trying to control his breathing, Sokka on his left, an arm around the firebender, and Toph on the right, a firm hand on Zuko’s arm. Finally, Toph questions, “You feeling any better, Sparky?”

“Yeah,” Zuko mutters.”

“I think Hakoda wants to apologize to you,” Toph says bluntly, “Would you be okay with that?”

Zuko’s breath had caught in his throat when she had said Hakoda’s name but now, after a moment that felt like an hour to Hakoda, he murmurs, “Yes. Yes, I think so.”

“Good. I’ll go get him,” Toph says, standing up, and, when Zuko still looks very nervous, she leans down and whispers something too quiet for Hakoda to hear. Whatever it is, Zuko huffs a laugh and Sokka grins.

Toph stomps out of the room and unerringly turns to face him. Grabbing his sleeve, she forcefully leads him out of earshot. “Do not screw this up,” she demands, pointing a threatening finger at him.

Hakoda had never thought that he could feel truly threatened by a twelve year old before this moment. As it is, he gets the acute feeling that if he makes even the slightest misstep, Toph would throw him off the side of the temple. “I won’t,” he says, simply.

Toph nods sharply but doesn’t release Hakoda’s arm as she marches him back to Zuko’s room. By the time they arrive, Zuko has managed to get to his feet. Sokka is hovering close by, but Zuko doesn’t seem to mind much. When he catches sight of Hakoda, he tenses visibly.

Hakoda doesn’t need Toph’s subtle, yet harsh, prompting to stop a few paces away from Zuko. “I would like to apologize for my actions earlier,” Hakoda says, getting straight to the point.

“Why?” Zuko asks, his voice raspy. Despite how clearly afraid he is, he’s refusing to lower his head or look away from Hakoda.

“I shouldn’t have raised my voice like that, in light of our conversation a few days ago,” Hakoda says, noting Toph’s approving nod.

“I’m sorry too,” Zuko says suddenly, “It was- it was weak of me to run away like that.”

Sokka and Toph both look like they’re about to kill someone so Hakoda answers hastily, “It was not weak of you, Zuko. _You_ are not weak.”

Zuko looks stunned at this declaration and stammers out, “O-oh.”

“He’s not lying,” Toph interjects suddenly and maybe Hakoda is missing something, because Zuko looks much more relaxed than should be expected at the reassurance. 

Hakoda raises a hand slowly, telegraphing his movements as he brings it down on Zuko’s shoulder. He is relieved when Zuko only tenses a little. “I’m sorry that I caused you distress,” Hakoda says sincerely and Zuko nods once.

“Uh, it’s fine,” Zuko mutters, not making eye-contact as Hakoda draws his hand back.

“I’m getting hungry, what about you, Zuko?,” Toph says in an overly casual voice and Hakoda assumes that she’s changing the subject for the prince’s sake. 

“Um, not really,” Zuko mumbles.

“Toph’s right,” Sokka says pointedly, “We should all get something to eat.”

“I’m not allowed to skip dinner, am I?” Zuko asks, a laugh in his voice.

“Nope!” Toph says cheerfully as Sokka shakes his head emphatically. “Come on, Sunshine,” Toph urges.

Sokka is clearly fighting a laugh at both the nickname and the way Zuko had stopped in his tracks to gape. He nudges Zuko as he says, “Yeah, come on, Sunshine.” Hakoda turns away to hide his laugh when Zuko turns bright red. 

Zuko is still spluttering as they make their way back to the campfire and sit down around it. Katara seems to have left but Hakoda knows that she probably just needs to cool down. “What’s so funny?” Aang asks, as he looks back and forth between the shit-eating grins on the faces of Toph and Sokka and the stunned look on Zuko’s.

“Nothing!” Zuko bursts out quickly.

“I didn’t know “nothing” could make you so speechless, Sunshine,” Sokka says, still grinning. 

Toph bursts into hysterics at this and Zuko buries his head in his hands, groaning, “Stooop.”

“Are you kidding me? This is the best leverage I’ve ever had on you,” Sokka says, his voice light and teasing.

Aang seems to have clued in on what was going on, because Hakoda could see a truly evil grin splitting his face. “So, you don’t want us to call you Sunshine?” He asks conversationally. 

Zuko shakes his head, looking up, but he’s laughing now too. “It just caught me by surprise!” He protests, “I’m one-hundred percent immune now.”

“You sure about that, Sunshine?” Sokka asks, leaning towards the firebender with a smirk.

Zuko squeaks. Actually squeaks. Blushing furiously, he holds his hands up, “Okay, maybe not one-hundred percent.” Toph actually screams from laughter. 

As Hakoda watches them, he realizes how lucky they all are to have eachother. He can see it in the way Toph and Zuko sit next to eachother, always touching a little. He can see it in the way Aang’s eyes light up whenever one of the others laugh. He can see it in the fond way Sokka looks at all of them. And he can see it in the way Zuko seems to light up around the three of them. He takes in the scene for a moment and smiles. He thinks that they know how lucky they are too.

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure where the fluff at the end came from but I love it so it’s staying. Anyways! As usual, I live for Kudos and Comments so feel free to share your opinions on the fic! I hope you all liked it!


End file.
